"As long as this school doesn't receive any sort of government funds, it has the right to discriminate," he said. "But just because you can discriminate doesn't mean you should. It doesn't make it morally right."

Speakers at the rally included gay and lesbian former BYU students and graduates, as well as parents of GLBT people. Kulisch was the only current BYU student to address the crowd.

Another Soulforce Equality Ride event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. today outside the BYU sign on the corner of Bulldog Boulevard and Canyon Road.

Occasionally interrupted by chants of "shame on you" or honking horns from the handful of protesters at the rally, Kulisch spoke about a lifetime of struggles — internally as he tried to understand why being Mormon and being gay both felt right to him, and externally when he decided to share his homosexuality with family, friends and church leaders after receiving his mission call.

Kulisch spoke about traveling home to Spokane, Wash., with a brother and sister after attending a Mormon pioneer re-enactment in Utah. He was riding in the back seat, his brother was driving and his sister was in the front passenger seat.

The siblings, tired from the pioneer trek, all fell asleep. The car veered off the road and down a steep ledge. Remarkably, none of them was injured.

When he got home, Kulisch said, his mother told him it would have been better if God had taken him from the Earth rather than leave him here to be gay.

"The sad part is," he said, "I believed her."

Today, Kulisch said he deals with being treated by some as less than his fellow students because he is gay. Still, he continues to attend BYU because, despite his sexuality, he feels it's where he's meant to be.

Kulisch said he abides by the BYU Honor Code, which requires that all students conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the principles of the LDS Church. Even though he is gay, he said, his behavior does not contradict those standards.

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E-mail: jpage@desnews.com